Ship to Shore
by cowgirlangel95
Summary: Military AU: Lieutenant Kris Furillo is arrested for a crime she didn't commit, threatening the end of her career. Lt. Commander Kenneth 'Junior' Davis is assigned as her defense council, and tries to get more of her story. However, Kris is very uncooperative, knowing that everyone has made their decision. Despite this, Junior still tries to break through the wall she put up.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: One of my dear Twitter friends, krisfurillo, came up with a military AU idea and allowed me to play around with it. Hope this satisfies everyone :)**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I don't own Wildfire.**_

Kris headed down the sidewalk to head back to the carrier after her day of liberty. She had a couple days left before they were heading back out to sea, but frankly, she wished today was the last day in the homeport. Kris didn't have anyone to visit in Norfolk, so her time off to her was just a waste. Her so called 'family' lived on the other side of the country, along with the few close friends she had kept over the years. So right now, she couldn't wait to leave. She needed to get back to work, something she could sink her teeth into.

After a few more steps, Kris mindlessly rounded the corner and headed down near the base housing. In her opinion, it was probably more secure than any other part of town which benefited her in a way. She continued on her way and began to think. Even though she didn't have anyone to visit, Kris toyed with the idea of calling Jean tomorrow. It had been a couple of months since they had last spoken, and Kris was eager to hear how everyone was doing… especially the 'love of her life': Wildfire.

Just thinking about him broke a piece of Kris' heart. She missed him terribly, along with racing him. Heck, it had been quite a length of time since she had _ridden_ him! Nearly six months, and an even longer period of time since their last race. _Blasted six month deployments,_ she thought to herself, allowing a small chuckle to escape her lips. After she and Wildfire had retired from racing when she was nineteen, ending on a very high note, she traded in her riding saddle for a pair of wings. It was a huge switch for her, but Kris definitely enjoyed learning how to pilot an F-14. Even though the two careers couldn't be more different, they gave Kris the same feeling each time.

She remembered the reaction of the racing world when she announced her retirement: one of pure shock and confusion. Only three years of being a jockey? What was the reason for that? It wasn't an easy decision, but she and Wildfire had a special connection. One that she couldn't really find in another horse, no matter how hard she tried.

The sound of a metallic clang brought Kris out of her daze. She looked up and saw a hooded figure standing near a car that was parked near the curb, and it had a crowbar in its hands.

Kris quickened her pace towards the carjacker. "Hey!" she called out.

The man swung the heavy crowbar towards her, but his swing was far too slow for it to do any real damage. Kris caught ahold of the crowbar just before it would have made contact with her skull, and twisted it out of his hands. She repositioned her hands on each end of the bar, making it easier for her to block the punches he threw at her with it. The downside of it though was that she wasn't quick enough for his next move. He threw a left hook at her which she blocked easily, but the man took advantage of the opening she left him, and nailed her in the stomach. Kris doubled over as the air rushed out of her lungs and let go of one end of the crowbar. The man brought his elbow up to her chest and slammed her up against the side of the car. Pain shot through Kris' back, along with a small twinge in her left wrist. The faint sound of glass tinkling once it hit the ground reached her ears, making her realize that the face of the watch Pablo had given her for her birthday had been broken.

Before she knew what was happening, the man released the hold on her and took off down an alley way. Kris was about to shout and take off after him, but another sound reached her ears. A siren.

She turned around to see a jeep filled with military policemen coming towards her. It halted about ten feet from her, and the three MPs stepped out and aimed their guns at her. "Get your hands above your head. Now!"

Kris did as she was told as she tried not to knock herself in the head with the crowbar. One of the MPs walked towards her, holstered his pistol, and reached for the hand cuffs as another took the crowbar from Kris' hands. The one with the hand cuffs took ahold of Kris' wrist and brought it behind her back and snapped one of the cuffs around it. "Lieutenant Furillo, you are under arrest for attempted robbery. You have the right to remain silent," he began. He continued to tell her her rights, but Kris tuned him out.

"What?!" she gasped as the MP lead her to the jeep. "No, this is all a misunderstanding! I saw someone try to break into it and I tried to stop him. You have to believe me! He headed down the alleyway!"

"Ma'am, we had someone call in and say you were outside, no one else."

Kris' face twisted into a confused expression. "It wasn't me. Can you at least check down the alleyway? He couldn't have gotten far. He was here just before you pulled up."

The MP that was driving the jeep raised an eyebrow, but after a moment he turned on his heel and headed down the alleyway. It didn't take him long before he returned, sat in the driver's seat, and drove towards the base.

"Well?" Kris asked, desperate to try and sort out this situation.

"The alley was a dead end, ma'am. The only way someone _could_ have escaped down there is if they can move through walls."

Kris deflated as she leaned up against the back of her seat. _How could he have gotten away? Did he duck away somewhere? Did he wait until the MPs weren't looking to slip away?_ She closed her eyes as more questions swirled around in her head, but one stood out more than the rest.

 _What's going to happen now?_

All she knew was that there would be a hearing or a court martial depending on how much evidence there was against her. Most likely the latter since they caught her 'red handed' so to speak. Kris couldn't even bear the thought of what would happen if she was found guilty. Worst case scenario, it would mean the end of her career.

As the MPs lead her inside her cell and let the door shut with a clang, Kris slumped down to the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees. The only words that came to her mind the whole night were, _Not again…_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: I introduce some characters from JAG in here, only so I didn't have to make them up myself. It is not required to watch JAG to understand them, they won't be a major part of the story and I will do my best to explain their characters.**_

Lieutenant Commander Kenneth "Junior" Davis burst through the elevator doors and headed towards his office. His father _would_ decide to try to get him to come back home five minutes before he had to leave for work this morning. And the kicker was, his father _knew_ when Junior left in the mornings. _That was probably his idea to begin with… make me late and get me into trouble with my commanding officer._ Usually he'd save his 'it's just a phase' banter for around dinner time. _But one would think after how many years at JAG that he would realize this is what I want to do? Oh wait, I'm thinking… since when does dad do that?_ he thought to himself. After all of this time, his father still wanted him back in horse racing, no matter how many times Junior told him he wasn't interested.

He was about to step into his office when a voice came from behind him. "Sir, the general is expecting you in his office ASAP."

Junior turned around to see Petti officer Coates, a strong young woman with dark hair that was pulled back and eyes to match. She was holding a manila folder in her hands, probably details on the case for one of the other JAGs in the office. He gave her a smile as he headed towards his superior's. "Thanks Coates."

She returned the smile and then remembered something that would be in his best interests. "Oh, just as a warning, sir… he's not in the best of moods."

Junior bit the inside of his cheek as he raised his hand to knock. His being late probably didn't help his superior's mood at all. _Perfect…_

He rapped the door lightly, and heard the general's harsh voice bid him inside almost immediately after he knocked. Junior opened the door and saw his CO, Major General Cresswell glaring at him as he entered. Once inside, Junior stepped to the center of the room and snapped to attention. "Reporting as ordered, sir."

"Take a seat, Commander," Cresswell stated tersely. "Nice of you to _finally_ join us."

"I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again," he replied as he sat down next to one of the senior officers at JAG, Commander Sturgis Turner.

Cresswell let out a soft grunt as he picked up to folders in front of him and handed them to the two attorneys. "Last night, a naval aviator, Lieutenant Kristine Furillo, was arrested for trying to break into a vehicle on government property. The lieutenant claims that she was trying to prevent the carjacking, but only her fingerprints were found at the scene, along with a 911 call saying she was the only one at the scene of the crime. She's being charged with conduct unbecoming."

Junior raised an eyebrow as he looked over the case details. "Isn't that a little harsh for an attempted carjacking?"

Sturgis shook his head. "It's not the first time she's been charged with this before," he replied as he too looked over the case details, along with the lieutenant's personnel file.

"But was she in the Navy before?"

Cresswell shook his head. "Save it for the courtroom," he snapped. "Turner, you'll prosecute. Davis, you'll defend. Dismissed."

The two attorneys rose from their seats. "Aye, sir."

OoOoO

Junior entered the small cement room and saw the officer he was defending sitting at the other end of the table, and she didn't appear to be all that eager to be there. If anything, he thought she would appear a bit pleased in that she was getting a chance to save her career. But instead, he was met with a cold, hard glare that seemed to go right through him.

"Lieutenant," he greeted, trying to get something – _anything_ – out of her as he set his briefcase on top of the metal table.

However, it didn't work. If anything, her eyes narrowed even more as some of her bangs fell down and covered part of her face. Junior pulled the metal chair out, causing it to screech against the floor, and sat himself down. He pulled the case details and her personnel record out and set them before him. "So, Lieutenant," he began again as he opened both of the folders and pulled out his pad and pen, "why don't you tell me what happened?"

Kris shook her head lightly, causing her ponytail to swing back and forth. "You've seen the report; you've seen the evidence. Everything _clearly_ points to me," she spat.

Junior closed the folders and folded his hands. "It doesn't sound like you believe that," he replied gently, hoping that would help in her opening up to him.

"Well, it doesn't matter what I believe now… does it?"

"Why don't you tell me what happened?" he asked sympathetically, avoiding her question while trying to show her that he was there to do his best in finding her innocence.

"You already know. If you've read the details of the case, you've read my alibi."

He let out his breath through his nose. "Tell it again."

"No."

Junior shook his head. "I can't defend you if you don't cooperate. Do you want to get out of here, or what?"

Kris' glare hardened even more, if that was even possible, and it sent a chill down Junior's spine. Why she was building her walls up so much when he was trying to help her, he had no clue. "Okay, fine. Forget about the case for now," he offered. "Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?"

Kris let out an emotionless chuckle. "Listen to this, _sir._ The only thing that I want you to know about me right now is that I want _you_ out _that_ door!" she growled.

Junior bit his lip and let the silence fill the room for a few moments. Finally, he packed up his briefcase and stood up. "Okay. Have it your way. But whether you like it or not, I'll be back here tomorrow so we can go over this."

As he turned on his heel to leave, he heard her mock, "Whatever you say… _sir._ "


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N:**_

 _ **Guest reviewer Bree: I respect the fact that you don't like Krunior. People have different tastes. But saying "with all kindness" and then proceeding to trash my ship afterwards is not being kind at all. That is called being disrespectful. If you don't like Krunior, then don't click on a story that clearly says it'll be about it, and if you do because you want something to read, then don't trash the author's likes.**_

Junior hung up the phone and sighed as he set his pen down. Thanks to Lieutenant Furillo not giving him any information at their interview the previous day, he took getting to know a little bit more about her into his own hands. He looked into her previous prison record that was mentioned in her file, and was surprised at what he eventually found out. After Junior talked with Kris' parole officer, she directed him to Kris' sponsor and previous employer; a name Junior was familiar with. Jean Ritter. Once he heard her name again, personal puzzle pieces began to fall in front of his eyes. The person he was defending was _the_ Kris Furillo, former jockey of Raintree Ranch. He followed her career closely, despite the fact she was from the rival of his father's ranch. But by that point, he had already left Davis Farms.

Why he didn't recognize her, he had no clue. Maybe it was the setting they were in yesterday, maybe it was because of the walls she built up. Whatever it was, it made Junior want to prove her innocence all the more.

He was brought out of his daze due to a knock at his door. Junior looked up and saw Sturgis standing in the doorway. "Ready to deal?"

Junior simply shook his head and leaned back in his chair.

"Davis, it's an open and shut case. You might as well make me an offer; it's the best your client is going to get."

Junior stood up and grabbed his folder. "I can't exactly make a deal for what's best for my client when she's barely talked to me."

Sturgis raised an eyebrow. "I thought you had an interview with her yesterday?"

"Doesn't mean she cooperated. Besides, I don't think she did it," Junior explained as he began to walk out of his office.

"How can you believe that when there's overwhelming evidence against her?"

Junior turned to face him and smiled. "I'll let you know in court."

OoOoO

Like yesterday, Junior entered the cement room and felt his client's hard gaze go right through him. Unlike yesterday, he promised himself that he wasn't leaving until they made some progress in the case. Or so he hoped.

"So," he began as he sat down across the table from Kris, "since you didn't give me much to work with yesterday, I decided to do my own research into your background." He paused for a moment to see if Kris' expression changed at all. It didn't, so he continued on. "And what I found was the history of a jockey named Kris Furillo."

"Is there a point to all of this?" Kris asked, getting annoyed that he wasn't cutting to the chase.

Junior shrugged as he opened up his folder. "Just that I didn't realize who I was defending until I talked to Jean yesterday."

Kris raised an eyebrow at his casual use for Jean's name. "Do you know her?"

He nodded. "I'm best friends with Matt. We haven't talked much since I joined up considering we're not neighbors anymore, but we do our best. And knowing Jean, she wouldn't have sponsored you without good reason, which gives me faith about this case. So, are we going to talk about it today, or not?"

A long pause fell over the two before she answered. "Fine… but I refuse to discuss my previous actions that lead me to Raintree."

The lieutenant commander sighed. "I don't think that's the best of ideas."

"It's none of the Navy's business, okay?" Kris spat.

"That may be so," Junior began, "but if this goes to court, which I highly suspect it will, prosecution will try and use that to show a certain behavior pattern, especially since one of your previous arrests _was_ a carjacking."

Kris slumped in her chair and let out her breath. As much as she didn't want to revisit that part of her life, considering how much she did to move past it all, she didn't have much choice if she wanted to stay out of Leavenworth. "Okay, fine. What do you want to know?"

A small smile spread across Junior's lips as he pulled out a notepad. _At least we're getting somewhere._ "Let's start with the first carjacking. What happened? Who were you working for? Why?"

"I was doing it for my brother… and partly for myself. Jayce showed me how to break into my mom's car and hotwire it one night so I could drive her home. She had lost her keys and was pretty out of it. Then later that night, I caught him stealing a car. I originally wanted nothing to do with it, but then one of my brother's friends came up to me and practically begged me to steal it because of some deadline at a chop shop. The offer was eight thousand dollars. Turned out to be a set up, and I got framed for it. I lied to the police officers about why I tried to steal it to protect Jayce."

Junior nodded as he took notes. "Okay… and now for Wildfire?"

"If you knew my previous career, then you know why."

"For the record?"

Kris rolled her eyes, but continued on. "He was my best friend at Camp Lagrange. He was getting trained to be a police horse, and we'd stop by the stables every once in a while. They weren't training him right, and they blamed the horse for it instead of who was riding him. He went to auction and was sold to a slaughter house. I had to do something for him! I didn't care what happened to me, just as long as Wildfire was safe."

"And you're story for what took place a few nights ago?"

"I was on my way back to the base and I saw someone attempting to break into a car. I went up to him, he attacked me and then took off just as the MPs arrived."

"How was this time different that the first carjacking?"

"Well, for one thing you wouldn't be using a crowbar to break in. You'd use a small piece of wire or metal, like a coat hanger in a pinch. Or you could have a device to get the key fob's signal, like I used."

Junior raised an eyebrow. "Why would you bring a crowbar to a carjacking?"

"You wouldn't, sir."

He continued to jot down some notes on his pad. "This whole thing just sounds off to me…" he trailed.

"Do you think it will go to court?" Kris asked, sounding hopeful since the first time he began his investigation.

Junior nodded as he set his pen down. "Yes. With this much doubt, there's no way I'm going to make a deal. Is there anything else that might indicate your story is true to the members?" he asked as he skimmed over the list of her belongings.

Kris shook her head. "No, not that I can recall. Will that be a problem?"

"Not at the moment."


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Probably should have clarified this at the beginning of the fic: everything up to the end of season 2 of Wildfire is part of this AU (minus Junior).**_

"Mrs. Ritter," Sturgis began as he stood up from his chair. "How long have you known the defendant?" he asked, making his way towards the stand.

Jean paused as she recalled the year Kris entered her life. "Eight years."

"How did you come to know her?"

"My trainer, Pablo Betart, had come to know her through a horse program he was running. After a while, he came to me to ask if he could hire her."

"And who was this program held for?" Sturgis asked as he spread his hands.

"Camp LaGrange."

"Which is?"

"A juvenile detention center," Jean explained through a forced breath.

The lawyer nodded, and continued. "Did he tell you where he found her?"

She nodded. "Yes, he did."

"And her previous actions didn't worry you?"

Jean hesitated as she tried to recall exactly how she felt in that moment. "…they did at first, but I trusted Pablo's judgment. He had done a lot to keep Raintree afloat."

"So," Sturgis persisted, "you allowed your trainer to hire her, fully aware of her previous accounts of theft. Did it surprise you when she was working under you for less than a week, and she stole not a car this time, but a horse that was sent to auction?"

"Objection," Junior interrupted. "Relevance?"

Sturgis turned towards the judge. "Goes towards the defendant's pattern of behavior, your honor."

"Over ruled," she stated. "You may answer the question, Mrs. Ritter."

Jean paused for a moment and looked over at Kris, well aware of how her answer might affect her. "…yes."

"And why is that?"

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "She said she didn't want to pay for her mistake for the rest of her life. Taking Wildfire was like a step backwards."

"Thank you," the commander nodded. "No further questions," Sturgis said as he took his seat.

Junior smiled as he rose from his seat. "Mrs. Ritter, did the defendant steal anything else, no matter how small, the rest of her time at Raintree?"

"No."

"Why do you suppose that is?"

Sturgis shot up from his seat. "Objection, calls for an opinion."

"Goes towards pattern of behavior, your honor."

"I'll allow it since prosecution opened that door."

Junior turned back towards Jean. "Mrs. Ritter?"

A small smile spread over her lips as she answered. "Kris changed. She did anything she could to help us."

"Thank you. No further questions."

"Redirect, Commander?" the judge asked as Junior took his seat beside Kris once again.

Sturgis stood. "No, your honor."

She turned to Jean. "You may step down. Prosecution, call your next witness."

"The prosecution calls Linda Minetti to the stand."

The doors to the courtroom opened, and a petite blonde about Kris' age entered the room. As she made her way to the witness stand, Kris' eyebrow shot up in confusion. She knew her… somehow, somewhere, those two had met before, but Kris couldn't place her.

Even though the movement was very slight, Junior took notice in it. He jotted down a reminder to ask Kris about it later. Who knows, it could help them.

"Miss Linda Minetti, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

She nodded. "I do."

"You may take a seat," Sturgis said as he gestured towards the chair. "Ms. Minetti, will you tell the court what you were doing on the evening of the twelfth."

"Of course," Linda began. "I was sitting in my living room when I heard a loud metallic clang outside my window. I pulled back the curtain to see someone trying to break into my husband's car. I called the police immediately."

"And who was it you saw?"

The blonde pointed at Kris. "Her."

Sturgis turned towards the members and announced in a clear voice, "Let the court recognize that Miss Minetti has identified Lieutenant Furillo as the carjacker. Thank you."

After Sturgis sat back down, the judge turned to the defense council. "Does the defense have any questions for the witness?"

Junior stood. "Not at this time your honor, but I would like to reserve the right to recall her at a later time."

She nodded. "Very well. Court is in recess until 1200 tomorrow."

After the gavel sounded, Kris stood up and whispered, "How does not asking her any questions right now help us?"

Junior looked into her eyes. "Her testimony doesn't seem add up, but I'm not quite sure how yet besides a gut feeling that she's lying. We'll go over it tonight, okay?"

It took a moment before Kris nodded. Personally, she wished Junior _had_ said something, but she had to trust him in this matter. He knew what he was doing… right?

The two of them headed into the hall, and spotted Mrs. Ritter waiting for them just outside of the doorway.

"Hey, Kris. I'm sorry about what happened in there…" she trailed, but Kris held up a hand to stop her.

"Don't worry about it, Jean. You couldn't do anything about it… you had to tell them what really happened. I'm not holding it against you. I could never."

Jean smiled. "Good… good."

"So, how's Wildfire doing?"

"Oh you know," Jean laughed. "Missing his best friend."

Kris nodded. "Well, hopefully if all goes well here, I'll be visiting him soon."

"Then that will be happening very soon," Junior cut in, flashing that dorky smile that Jean knew so well. Although Kris wouldn't like to admit it, she found that smile rather cute.

All three of them laughed at his comment. "Well, I see your cockiness hasn't toned down that much," Jean replied.

Junior shrugged. "What can I say? It's the Davis charm."

"Yeah, well… oh! I meant to tell both of you, that Matt is sorry that he wasn't able to make it today. Something about one of the horses. He'll definitely be here tomorrow for his testimony… which reminds me, I need to go pick him up at the airport. I'll talk to you both soon, okay?"

Both Junior and Kris nodded. "Sounds good."

* * *

Back in the "meeting room" of Kris' detention facility, Junior was looking over the evidence, along with the notes he had taken from today's court room session. His brow furrowed as his eyes went back and forth between the police reports, Kris' belongings such as her watch, his notes, and back to the police reports.

After fifteen long minutes of silence between them, Kris finally spoke. "Are you seeing anything yet?"

"Just one thing… Linda said that she heard a metallic clang just before she looked out the window. Tell me, if you were trying to steal something, and you dropped something, making a loud enough noise for other people to hear, would you go through with the act?"

Kris shook her head. "No. It draws attention to them, so if they were stupid enough to go through with it, there would be several eye witnesses that would be able to identify him."

"So that debunks that part of her testimony," Junior thought aloud. "But what about the phone call?" he continued on as he once again eyed Kris' watch. He picked up the plastic bag and looked at the broken face. Junior's eyebrow shot up in confusion as he noticed the time frozen on it.

"When did you break this?"

Kris shrugged. "Right at the beginning of the fight. He smashed my wrist on the car and it shattered. It kind of ticked me off; Pablo gave me that."

"It stopped at 11:05…" he trailed as he picked up the police report. "Five minutes _after_ the call was placed."

"So I was set up?"

Another long pause filled the room. "Back in the court room, I noticed you raised an eyebrow when Linda was called. Do you know her?"

"Yeah… but I can't place her."

"Don't worry," Junior assured her. "I'm sure everything will become clear within a matter of time."


	5. Chapter 5

Sturgis stood up from his chair. "The government calls Agent Turkay to the stand."

The back doors to the courtroom opened as the elderly, heavy set NCIS officer approached the witness stand. After he was sworn in, Sturgis began.

"Agent Turkay, would you please tell the court what it was you found at the scene of the crime?"

He nodded as he readjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "I found several sets of Lieutenant Furillo's fingerprints all over the crowbar, and some on the car's driver side door and window. There was also a few strands of hair found that matched the lieutenant's."

"Were there any partial prints found?"

"No."

Sturgis crossed his arms. "Not on either the car or the crowbar?"

"None."

The attorney nodded. "Thank you. No further questions."

Once Sturgis sat down, Junior stood up and looked at his notes. "Agent Turkay, would you be able to tell if someone wearing gloves had handled the crowbar?"

"Objection, your honor," Sturgis called out. "It can't be tested if a gloved person had handled the crowbar."

Junior smiled as he turned to the prosecutor. "You're right. If a gloved person had handled it before the defendant took it from him, he would have left no prints. No further questions."

Sturgis' eyes narrowed as he watched the lieutenant commander sit down. He had walked right into that one… something he would not have expected to face again since his former coworker was now in London.

Despite the trick, Sturgis was certain that he had made his case. "The government rests your honor."

"Very well. Defense, call your first witness."

Junior rose once again and announced, "The defense calls Matt Ritter to the stand."

Kris watched Matt rise from the bench behind her and make his way up to the witness stand.

"Mr. Ritter, what does G.O.S. stand for?"

Matt bit his lip as he tried to keep himself from laughing. Never in his life did he think he would hear his best friend call him 'Mr. Ritter'. Once he regained his composure, Matt answered, "It stands for 'Going out of State'."

"What does this apply to?"

"The auctioning of horses. They buy horses that seem… fit."

Junior nodded as he walked towards the witness stand. "Say a horse 'seems fit' to G.O.S., what happens to the horses after they're sold to them?"

"They're sent to different locations across the US to be slaughtered since it's illegal to slaughter them in certain states."

Once again Junior nodded. "And how is the G.O.S. associated with the defendant?"

"Wildfire was sold to G.O.S. at a horse auction. Kris saved Wildfire's life when she stole him from that barn, and the televised chase helped bring awareness to what was being done. All the horses that were purchased by G.O.S. that day were saved as well."

"So it was morally right to take him?"

"Yes."

"Thank you, no further questions."

After Sturgis finished jotting down a few things on his notepad, he rose from his seat. "Mr. Ritter, is it morally right to steal a car, for whatever reason?"

Matt bit his lip and shifted in his chair. "No."

"Do certain actions have a way of repeating?"

Matt glared up at Sturgis and responded, "They can if you're not willing to put forth any effort to change."

Sturgis sighed as he sat back down. "No further questions."

The judge turned to Matt. "You may step down. Defense, call your next witness."

"The defense would life to recall Linda Minetti."

The young woman's eyes widened, but she rose from her seat and made her way back to the witness stand.

"I remind you, Ms. Minetti, that you are still under oath," the judge said to her.

"Yes ma'am," Linda replied.

"Ms. Minetti, if the defendant dropped something and it made a noise loud enough for someone to hear, why would she continue, risking getting caught?"

Sturgis called out, "Objection, calls for an opinion."

"Goes to motive," Junior explained.

"I'll allow it for now."

"Thank you," Junior replied as he turned back towards Linda. "Ma'am?"

She shrugged her shoulders and shifted her gaze away from Junior. "I don't know, perhaps she thought she could still get away with it."

Junior nodded as he looked down at his notes. "The police report indicates that you called at eleven o'clock pm, is this true?"

"Sounds about right."

"How long did it take for the MPs to arrive at the scene?"

"A few minutes."

Junior looked back down at his notes. "How long is a few minutes."

Linda shrugged once again. "Five or six, give or take."

"Your honor, I would like to enter defense exhibit A," Junior announced as he picked up the evidence bag and brought it up to the bench, "the defendant's watch. The face of it was broken at the beginning of the fight she allegedly had. The time that the watch stooped at was 11:04."

Sturgis shot up. "Objection, the watch could have been broken when the MPs apprehended her."

"The police reports indicate that Lieutenant Furillo was very cooperative."

"Overruled."

Junior turned back to face the witness. "Why did you call the MPs five minutes before Lieutenant Furillo walked by? Did you somehow know she was coming?"

Linda glared at Junior, then shifted her gaze over at Kris, then back to Junior. "Yes."

"How?"

"My brother has been following her career very closely since she ruined his financial empire. When he found out her homeport was near me, we thought it was the best opportunity to give her what she had coming to her! She was getting what she deserved!"

"And who is your brother?"

"Kerry Conelli."

A gasp escaped Kris' lips as she now placed where she had seen Linda before. She had come to visit Kerry at one of her races. If Kris recalled correctly, the two were fairly close, but she was always moving thanks to being married to a military man, so they never got to see each other too often.

"Thank you, Ms. Minetti. No further questions."

"Would the government like to recross?"

Sturgis shook his head. "No, your honor."

"Very well then. Court is in recess until 1300 this afternoon."

 _ **A/N: Sorry for not updating sooner, work has kept me busy. But now that I'm done with that for the summer, I'm hoping to finish the next 3-4 chapters here soon.**_


	6. Chapter 6

"Lieutenant Furillo, how did you know Kerry Conelli?" Junior asked as he approached the witness stand.

"He was my manager for when I was a horse jockey."

"How long did you ride for him?"

"About a year."

"Was there anything else between you two?"

"Yes. We were lovers for a brief time."

Junior nodded as he tapped his pen on the palm of his hand. "What was his reaction to your decision to leave horse racing to pursue a career in the navy?"

Kris bobbed her head from side to side, trying to come up with the right description. "He wasn't very thrilled."

"Can you elaborate?"

"Kerry had planned for me to start racing in Europe, and stay there for two years without my consent. He told me about 'our' plans the same night I was going to tell him about my decision to leave. When I told him, he became very agitated. Then he said he invested all of his assets into this Europe tour."

"How did you react to that?"

"I felt like he was trying to trap me into staying. After I had left, I had found out that he had done something similar to some of his other clients."

"Thank you," Junior concluded as he turned towards Sturgis. "Your witness."

Commander Turner rose from his chair. "The government has no questions at this time."

"Very well," the judge commented. "Court is in recess until 0800 tomorrow."

Just after the gavel sounded, Sturgis approached Junior and let a small smile come upon his lips. "I'm going to recommend to the convening authority that all charges be dropped. Congratulations Commander, Lieutenant."

"Commander," the two said in unison.

Kris turned towards Junior once Sturgis was out of ear shot. "Thank you for not giving up on me. I don't know how I can ever express how grateful I truly am."

Junior raised a playful eyebrow and smiled. "I may know how you can do just that."

She returned the look to him. "And what would that be?"

"Have dinner with me. It could be the most unromantic dinner of all time if that is what would make you feel comfortable."

 _There's no such thing as an unromantic dinner when you're concerned…_ Kris thought. "Okay."

Both of Junior's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

Kris nodded.

"Okay then. My apartment, seven o'clock tonight."

"I'll be there."

OoOoO

Kris stood in front of the apartment door with her hand raised, ready to knock, but she was frozen in her spot. She had arrived ten minutes early, and had been standing in the same position for the last five. Even though she had gone out with guys that had similar personalities to the commander, she felt different this time for some reason; she felt _nervous_. And she wasn't one to get nervous, especially over a guy!

Finally, Kris allowed her fist to come in contact with the metal apartment door. _No turning back now_ , she thought as she heard his footsteps on the other side.

The door opened and revealed the lawyer standing right in front of her, that dorky smile of his spread across his lips and a dish towel flung over his shoulder. "Hey, come on in," he greeted as he stepped aside to allow enough room for her to enter.

Kris nodded as she stepped inside. "Thanks… Ken," she responded, his name sounding weird on her tongue since she had only addressed him as 'commander' or 'sir' since they first met.

His face grimaced as he helped Kris with her jacket. "Call me Junior."

"Okay… Junior," she repeated as she glanced around the apartment. It was a fairly decent size, especially for one guy in Washington D.C. They were currently standing in the living area, and the kitchen/ dining areas were right behind that with a gorgeous view of the city. Right beside her was a metal spiral staircase that led up to a loft, most likely where his bedroom was.

"Nice place," Kris commented.

Junior smiled as he headed back into the kitchen to finish dinner. "Thanks. It's been a long work in progress."

"Did you do all of this?"

"Nope," he laughed. "I can't even build a bookcase. Just ask Matt."

Kris joined in the laughter. "That reminds me, I've been meaning to ask you since they came… how do you know the Ritters?"

"Well," he began as he placed the final touches on the small dining table, "let's just say when you're next door neighbors with a rival stable, sometimes you can get close with them. And in my case, since I'm not my dad, wasn't because of manipulation."

Kris bit her lip out of embarrassment. "I should have put that together considering your last name is Davis."

Junior shrugged. "Davis is a fairly common last name. And you wouldn't be the only one not putting together subtle clues. I didn't know you were _the_ Kris Furillo until I was about to contact your 'family'."

"Oh, stop," Kris said as she slapped Junior's shoulder.

"I'm being serious! And being the responsible one in the Davis family, I would like to apologize for anything and everything they have done… especially Dani."

Kris rolled her eyes at the sound of her old nemesis' name. "Yeah, well… thanks for that. So, are they still as bad as they were back then?"

"I'll tell you, as long as we start eating. I don't know about you, but I'm starving!" Junior said dramatically.

The two of them laughed as they sat down, and Junior began to serve them both.

"So where was I?" Junior joked as he handed Kris her plate.

"Your family," Kris smiled.

"Ah, yes. Well, my dad doesn't have as many racing cronies anymore, but that doesn't cut down on his manipulation; including trying to get me back into racing despite me being happy with my life now. Dani has changed completely. She met a bull rider not too long after you left racing. He's a buddy of mine from when I tried my hand at bull riding right after high school and before I entered Officer Candidate School. RJ helped change her for the better. She left horse racing as well, and now they're happily married. Who knows, if you and Dani ever see each other again, you could become best friends."

Kris let out a nervous laugh. "I highly doubt that."

Junior shrugged. "You never know."

"Touché, but I'm not betting on that happening at the moment."

He nodded. "So, Ms. Furillo… tell me a bit about yourself."

As Kris began, Junior gave her his full attention. He watched every little movement she made, how her smile spread from one side of her face to the other, how she shied away from her past before coming to Raintree, noticing that what she said did bother her even though she said it didn't. To Junior, it was hard to believe what he was feeling at the moment. He had only known her for a couple of weeks, but as she continued, he couldn't help but that he was falling in love with her.

OoOoO

Both of them were laughing at a story Junior had just finished as they finished cleaning up after dinner.

"So, Kris. Would you be interested in having lunch tomorrow?"

"I would," she began, "but I'm headed back to my squadron tomorrow. I leave at eight."

"I understand," Junior trailed. "How about breakfast then?"

Kris shook her head and smiled. "Sure."

"I know a great place near the airport; I could pick you up say, around six?"

"That sounds great."

Junior smiled. "Great. Then… I'll see you tomorrow."

Kris nodded. "Yeah. See you tomorrow."

He grabbed her jacket and placed it over her shoulders. "Have a good night."

"You, too."

 _ **A/N: Two more chapters! Hoping to have both of them up before I head back to school. Until then!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: I intended to have two more chapters, but I didn't have enough content to do that, so I combined them. Enjoy!**_

Kris raised an eyebrow as she saw a silver Porsche coming closer and closer to her, and she rose the other one when it stopped in front of her with Junior, clad in a leather jacket and a tee shirt, in the front seat.

"Get in," Junior smiled.

Kris tossed her sea bag into the back seat and hopped inside. "Tell me, how does a lieutenant commander afford to drive one of those things?"

He chuckled as he pulled away from the curb. "My dad gave it to me long before I left the horse racing business. All I've had to do is keep her intact over the years."

"And you still kept it despite it being from your father?"

"Hey, a guy has to get around," he defended.

Kris rolled her eyes as they continued on down the road towards the diner.

OoOoO

Once their waitress set their plates in front of them, Kris smiled and unraveled her napkin. "Okay, now it's your turn. I spilled my guts last night, tell be about yourself before you left Davis Farms."

Junior swallowed some coffee and set his mug back on the table. "Oh, you know… I was the show off rich kid who didn't really want anything to do with horse racing. My dad always played Dani and me against each other, even though he said that was never his intent. But, we never did buy that. And then the usual stuff. Like having a blast causing trouble with Matt."

Kris laughed. "I can see that… you'll have to tell me some of those stories sometime."

"Oh, I have plenty of incriminating ones about Matt."

"As I'm sure he' has plenty about you."

Junior grimaced. "Definitely…"

Both of them laughed as Kris continued on with the questions. "So, why the Navy? Why JAG? Considering where you were before, I would not think of you as a lawyer type."

"I could ask you the same thing."

"I asked first."

Junior let out a chuckle. "Okay, okay. I guess I chose the military because I could be as far away from my dad as possible and he wouldn't be able to get to me, no matter how hard he tried. But I guess the Navy because it's like an adventure in a way… no two days are the same, unlike horse racing. Same horses most of the time, same training… the only variation was the horses running the race and who won. My passions tend to vary with time, so that also conflicts with the everyday life at Davis Farms. Law… I'm not sure exactly why, I guess something about it fascinated me because I love what I'm doing now. Your turn!" he exclaimed as his smile brightened.

Kris bobbed her head from side to side and returned the smile. "I get the same feeling in the cockpit of an F-14 as I do in a starting gate. And after Wildfire won the Breeders, I couldn't find another special connection with a horse, and it sucked. So I found a new love, and I'm good at it! It's not often in life you can find several things that you can click with."

Both of them finished their meals and Kris looked down at her watch. "I better get going if I'm going to catch my flight back."

Junior sadly nodded in agreement. "Yeah… I just wish we had some more time like this. I rather enjoyed it."

"Me too…" Kris trailed. "Maybe we could email each other while I'm away?" she suggested.

"And you can call every once in a while when you find the time?"

Kris nodded happily. "I'd like that."

"Yeah," Junior smiled. "Me too."

* * *

Epilogue: One Year Later:

Kris smiled as she stood at Wildfire's stall. Everyone was still asleep (minus Pablo, who was training Flame for his next race) as the sun was just starting to peek above the horizon. She tried to go back to sleep, but the excitement of being 'home' for the first time in a couple of years got the best of her. And of course, what better time was there for her to visit her favorite guy?

She must have been so focused on Wildfire, for she didn't hear the footsteps behind her. "Hey."

Kris turned around and saw Junior standing behind her, and before she could say anything, his lips met hers for a quick kiss, but Kris quickly pulled him back for another. Once her tour ended, the two of them decided to take some leave together, and Junior couldn't think of a better place to go.

"What are you doing up this early?" Kris asked.

Junior shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

"Your dad still giving you a hard time?"

"When is he not?" he teased lightly. "But I did not come over here to talk about him. What are you up to this morning?"

"I was thinking about going on a trail ride with Wildfire," she responded as she turned to face the retired race horse.

"Why don't we make a day of it? We could ride out to the meadows… have a nice picnic… just be with each other," Junior suggested as he wrapped his arms around Kris' waist and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Hmm, it sounds nice. But it can't be the whole day. I promised Todd I'd have dinner with him."

Junior's jaw dropped and he let out a gasp. "What? What am I supposed to do then?" he asked jokingly.

"Go hang out with Matt! You were complaining about not having seen him in a while when we were on the plane!"

"Okay, okay… now, let's saddle up."

OoOoO

As Kris allowed Wildfire to pull out in front of Junior and one of the other trail horses, Junior couldn't help but admire her. How beautiful she was, how happy she looked to be back in her main element, even if it was just for fun.

It was amazing how close the two of them grew since they first met, especially over long distance. But there was something that Junior had come to find out. If you deeply care about someone, the distance doesn't matter. He reached into his pocket and felt the small jewelry box and smiled. Someday soon, he was going to ask her. Now it was just a matter of time as to when.

 _Tomorrow at dinner_ , he concluded. That way, everyone important in her life would be surrounding her for, what he hoped, would be one of the most important moments of her life.

 _ **A/N #2: Hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I'm planning on writing a one shot sequel for their wedding, but I'm not sure when that will happen. Thanks for reading!**_


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